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Shark (Carcharodon carcharias) click here.
Great White Shark (Carcharodon carcharias)
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page are copyright protected: © 2010 Kelvin Aitken.
All rights reserved. Students may use this information for
personal research only. Not for commercial use.
The most notorious of all sharks is the Great White Shark
(Carcharodon carcharias). Its colour is light to dark grey
on the back, fading to pale grey on the sides, sometimes with
a bronzy sheen in certain light. The belly is white and the
underside of the large pectoral fins may be dusky at the tips
and/or have a dark spot near the body. This shark's conical
snout is usually heavily scarred from the defences of their
prey and the large eyes are pure black. The mouth remains
partially open with the bottom teeth always visible. Very
broad caudal keels sit before an almost symmetrical lunate
tail. (see words to know)For such a notorious character, it
is perhaps surprising that no serious studies of this shark's
natural history have been undertaken until recently. It was
not until 1985 that the first pregnant female was reliably
recorded. She had seven near-term embryos, each about one
metre long and weighing 13 kg. Studies of their feeding habits
show that only the larger Great White Sharks regularly prey
on marine mammals, such as seals and dolphins, their main
diet consisting of fish, particularly tuna, and smaller sharks.
Great White sharks are now protected in many countries, including
some States in Australia. Their low birth rate has not kept
up with the numbers being caught by sport and commercial fishing
vessels. Most Great White Sharks are killed accidentally in
nets set for other species.
The maximum size for a Great White Shark is a subject of great
controversy, with exaggeration being the yardstick. Despite
stories of mythical Great Whites 10 m long, the largest specimen
reliably measured to date has been 6.4 m long.
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